TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
GENTLEMAN JACK Tonight, BBC1, 9pm
The railway arrives in Yorkshire, and Anne Lister (Suranne Jones) is immediately obsessed with the opportunities it may bring – she wastes no time asking the local businessmen what this travel revolution could mean for Halifax.
But perhaps she should be concentrating on her private life a little bit more because there’s trouble brewing.
Efforts to charm Ms Walker’s relatives look set to come to nothing, while Ann doesn’t like the idea of her wife visiting a despair-laden Mariana Lawton.
LONG LOST FAMILY SPECIAL: SHIPPED TO AUSTRALIA Tomorrow, ITV, 9pm
In the middle of the 20th century, thousands of unaccompanied British children were sent to Australia with the promise of a better life.
In reality, many ended up in badly run institutions suffering poor education, and often physical and sexual abuse, while all family ties were severed.
This edition follows the stories of some of the youngsters caught up in the scandal, including Dorian Thomas Reece who, nearly 70 years after he was sent to live in Western Australia aged eight, searches for answers.
LIFE AFTER LIFE Tuesday, BBC2, 9pm
The drama based on the Kate Atkinson novel where a young woman dies and is reborn time and time again, continues.
Ursula confides in Sylvie that she thinks she’s already died lots of times. Sylvie persuades Hugh to let Ursula visit a psychiatrist in London to help with her dark thoughts and disturbing dreams, chaperoned by her Aunt Izzie. When Ursula turns 16, her birthday has shocking repercussions – but help comes from
an unexpected place.
THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE Wednesday, BBC1, 8pm
Host Sara Pascoe welcomes 12 stitchers to their new base in a historic woollen mill on the outskirts of Leeds as the latest series begins.
The hopefuls will be put through their paces by judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young, who set a pattern challenge to make a wool mini skirt.
Then they are celebrating the lifting of Covid restrictions by getting the contestants to turn lockdown loungewear into a going-out top before they create a made-tomeasure wrap dress. But who will get the first Garment of the Week, and who will go home?
NICK KNOWLES’ BIG HOUSE CLEAROUT
Thursday, Channel 5, 8pm
The second series kicks off in
Portsmouth, where Nick meets three generations squeezed together in a three-bed semi.
Sarah moved in with daughter Stevie and granddaughter Hermonie after her husband died suddenly, and the women want to reclaim some space.
Can the designers come up with a look that will please both mother and daughter?
RICHARD HAMMOND’S CRAZY CONTRAPTIONS Friday, Channel 4, 8pm
Billed as “TV’s most left-field engineering show”, Richard asks three brothers from Somerset and a team from Loughborough University to build ingenious chainreaction machines that will allow him to water his plants in the garden while he watches TV.
Chain-reaction machine guru Zach Umperovitch is the judge while Shini Somara explains the science behind the contraptions.
THE HIT LIST Saturday, BBC1, 6.05pm
It’s a special celebrity edition of the music quiz tonight, with pop stars from the Noughties naming as many hit songs and artists as possible, with a £10,000 jackpot for their chosen charity up for grabs.
Taking part are Atomic Kitten’s Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton, Blue’s Simon Webbe and Duncan James, plus Steps stars Claire Richards and Lee LatchfordEvans. As usual, Marvin and Rochelle Humes are the hosts.